Flush valve actuator



1952 M. c. ANSORGE 2,605,479

FLUSH VALVE ACTUATOR Filed Sept. 26, 1946 INVENTOR Mark}; L flnsar e BYM M [aw ATTORNEYS Patented Aug. 5, 1952 FLUSH VALVE ACTUATOR Martin C.Ansorge, New York, N. Y.

Application September 26, 1946, Serial No. 699,452

2 Claims.

This invention relates to flush valve actuators, and particularly to animproved means for actuating a flush valve by body pressure to insurethe proper flushing of toilet facilities.

Toilet bowls and urinals in public places usually have flush valveswhich are actuated by a manually operated handle or by a push button.Because of the substantially continuous use of public toilet facilitiesby people in all walks and stations of life, the handles or push buttonsof such valves may serve as carriers of disease germs; and many peopleare reluctant manually to grasp the handle or to actuate the push buttonwith the fingers for fear of contracting an infectious disease. As aresult, and particularly after urination, the toilets or urinals are notflushed, and the toilet rooms become malodorous and unsanitary.

The management or custodians of many buildings place blocks ofantiseptic and odor absorbing materials in the drains of urinals or useother means for keeping the toilet facilities in a more sanitarycondition; but almost never do porters or janitors of a building cleanthe valve actuators with germicidal preparations. Thus proper flushingof the equipmentwhich is the most satisfactory means of maintaining itodor free and sanitaryis very often not practiced by the public. Studieshave shown that pedal or like foot-pressure actuated valves arefrequently ignored by the public; and such valves have the furtherdisadvantage of becoming jammed or disordered, requiring the services ofa mechanic to restore to operable condition.

It is a principal object of the invention to prov vide means wherebyconventional handle or button actuated flush valves may be simply,easily and practically involuntarily, operated by body pressure and thusobviate the necessity of manually grasping or touching the actuator withthe hands.

It is an object of the invention to provide means whereby with slightand oftimes unconscious effort, the user of a urinal or other toiletfacility may flush the same during use.

It is another object of the invention to provide means whereby slightbody pressure applied in V a substantially straight line of effort isconverted to an angular movement of the valve actuator for properoperation of the valve.

It is an object of the invention to provide a flush valve actuator whichwill insure, encourage or induce an adequate flushing of the sanitaryequipment.

It is an object of the invention to provide a flush valve actuatorpursuant to which the toilet facilities will be flushed during each use,thereby to improve the sanitary conditions of frequentlyused toiletrooms.

It is an object of the invention to provide a flush valve actuator asaforesaid which is inexpensive to manufacture and install on standardforms of flush valves.

It is still another object of the invention to provide a flush valveactuator which does not in any way modify the internal mechanicalstructure or method of operation of standard or conventional fiushvalves.

Other features and advantages will hereinafter be described.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a vertical elevation of the invention tas applied to aconventional urinal of the stall Fig. 2 is a detail showing aconventional flush valve construction and the engagement therewith bythe cam plate of the valve actuator shown in Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is a detail, partly in section, showing one embodiment of theinvention as applied to a flush valve of the button operated type;

Fig. 4 is a bottom plan view of the apparatus of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a detail of a method of removably attaching the actuator meansto the handle of a standard flush valve.

Referring initially to Fig. 2, the flush valve I0 is illustrated as ofconventional type in which inward movement of the spring biased plungerll tilts the valve actuator l2 to cause a flow of water from the valve.As is apparent, the plunger l I is guided for straight inward andoutward movement, and inasmuch as the spring I4 is frequently ofsubstantial strength, it is customary to provide a lever type ofactuator handle which when tilted causes a cam l5 to rotate about itsedge as a fulcrum to exert inward pressure against .the end It of theplunger. II. It will be noted that the head I5 has a relatively largeflat area in contact with the flat surface of the plunger end [6. Uponrelease of pressure on the handle or equivalent valve actuator, thespring l4 restores the respective parts to the normal Fig. 2 position.

In a preferred form of the present invention, the usual handle of aflush valve of the Fig. 2 type is replaced by or supplemented by a rodor shaft 11 to the end of which is removably affixed the cam I5, as bythe screw threaded means shown in Fig. 2. To the end of the rod I! thereis permanently affixed a plate [8, which may be of the order of 2 or 3inches in diameter, and which has a smooth and preferably convex outersurface.

. In order to transform forward body pressure against plate l8 into thedesired angular movement of cam IS, the plate is inclined from thevertical, as shown, with the result that the plate will tend to movedownwardly upon pressure applied thereagainst, to rotate the rod and camin the direction of movement. The red I! may be straight, but preferablyhas an ogee curvature or is inclined so as to offset the plate withrespect to the vertical or horizontalplane.

It should be understood. that.

of plunger I i. whereas the plate is illustrated as being beneath thelevel of plunger li-and this is considered? preferable-it may be offsetto either side, or may. be above the plunger.

to operate by tilting the handle, because the spring ld-is so strong asto make ct inward thrust of the handledifficult. Accordingly, forwardbody pressure as indicated by thesclid ar row in Fig. l, is translatedinto an angular movement of the rod 1 l as indicated by the dotted arrowin-such figure. The mechanical advantage obtained by'thelong rod i'i'reduces almost to the point of imperceptibility and bodily effortrequired' tooperate the valve, and the flushing of the toilet fixturebecomes almost an involuntary Or natural act. By making'the rod i? andplate E8 of light materials, the standard spring i l-is completelyadequate to return the device to normal position after use.

In contradistinction to the angular movement of the actuator oftheconventional lever-operating'flush valve type, the push button valve,as shown in Fig. 3, operates by a direct inward movement of the button29, said movement urging-the plungerll directly inwar ly, against theresistance of the relatively weaker spring 21. Although the spring 2! isgenerally of less strength than the spring M of the Fig. Z'type,

ably'receive a shaft 24 which pivotally carries the actuator rod 25. Thehead of the rod is provided with'oris'formed with a cam 25 which is inengagementwith the button 20. Although the rod 252may be provided with abodyrpressure plate similafto the plate it, the Fig. 3 embodiment showsa body-pressure member 2] which is bulbous in shape. Said bulb maybeadhesively securedto the end of the rod; Alternatively, the neck'of thebulb may be provided with a female threaded insert for cooperation witha threaded endof the rod. 7

Forward pressure-on thebody-pressure member 2:! :w'ill causea-clockwiserotationof lever'25;

;- member 25.-

whereupon the nose of cam 26 will urge the button inwardly to operatethe flush valve. Preferably, means such as the coil spring 28 isutilized to return the lever 25 to its initial position after operation,because the spring 2| may not be of sufiicient strength, in the usualflush valve, for

proper return of the actuator to normal position.

It is obvious that the cam 26 is the equivalent of the cam plate l5ofFig. 2, and thatcam 26 may bear directly against'the head l6 of theplunger ll. Without in any way affecting the -operation of the device,the button 29 may be eliminated and the structure arranged so that cam26 directly engages the head iii.

Either of the actuators is easily installed, and does not require anydisconnection of piping or shutting OlT. of the water supply. In theFig. 2 embodiment, it is necessary only to remove the nut 38 and thesocket 3!, whereupon the conventional handle is removable. The end ofthe rod ll is'passedthrough the opening in the socket and' thehead itaffi'xed thereto, whereupon the sleeve and nut are resecured and theapparatus is in condition for'immediate use.

Inthe-Fig. 3 embodiment, it is considered preferable to provide a socket22 having' integral lugs 2-3, and it is contemplated that the socket androd 25 will besoldfor'installation as a unit.

Fig. 5- shows means whereby'a rod ll or, in

1 the absence thereof, body-pressure member 29*rnay conveniently "beapplied directly to the valve handleof aconventional flush valve. Afemale-threaded sleeve-Balms a reduced-diameter neck 3 securedto theinner wall' of the tapering end-of 'the valve handle, as shown. A splitnut 34, having a bore configurated to snugly engage the handle at anintermediate reduceddiameter portion is male-threaded for cooperationwith the-sleeve 33; Upon placing said sleeve over the handle and makingupon the nut, the

sleeve is urged to the left of Fig; 5, to tightly come into positionagainst the handle 32 for sec'urementthereto. The member 29 has beenfragmentarily'shown' as of bulbous form, but it is'obvious that a membersuch as plate I B may be used to equal advantage.

Although the invention has been described by' making a 'fully'detailedreference to the certain presently preferred embodiments, such detail ofdescription is to be understood in an instructive rather than alimiting'sense, many changes being possible within the scope of theclaims hereto appended.

I claim:

1; In combination, a valve actuator for a standard cam actuated flushvalveof a urinal, disposed adjacent to and extending transverselyoutwardly from the large open area of the urinal, which standardcam-actuated flush valve includes a reciprocable member reciprocatingina substantially horizontal plane for initiating fluid flow through theflush valve together with a cam bearing against the reciprocable memberand against a fixed surface in a vertical plane at right angles to thepath of reciprocation and to the horizontal plane of reciprocation, thevalve actuator extending from the cam at right angles to the verticalplane of contact area; a first section of the actuator extendingparallel to the horizontal plane of reciprocation of the reciprocablemember and at right angles to the vertical" plane of the contact area; asecond section of the actuator attached to the first section'and formingan angle with the horizontal plane-10f Said sleeve preferably contactsthe:

reciprocation; a third section of the actuator attical height of theangular second section; and

a plate attached to the end of the third section tilted at an angle tothe horizontal plane of reciprocation whereby a pressure on the endplate in a horizontal plane applies a torque to the valve actuatorcausing the valve actuator and cam to pivot on the fixed surface andthereby actuate the reciprocable member which initiates the fluid flowthrough the valve.

2. In combination a valve actuator for a standard cam actuated flushvalve disposed adjacent to and associated with a toilet fixture, whichstandard cam actuated flush valve includes a reciprocable memberreciprocating in a substantially horizontal plane for initiating fluidflow through the flush valve together with a cam bearing against thereciprocable member and against a fixed surface in a vertical plane atright angles to the path of reciprocation and to the horizontal plane ofreciprocation, the valve actuator extending from the cam at right anglesto the vertical plane of contact area; a first section of the actuatorextending parallel to the horizontal plane of reciprocation of thereciprocable member and at right angles to the vertical plane of thecontact area, a second section of the actuator attached to the firstsection and forming an angle with the horizontal plane of reciprocation;a third section of the actuator attached to the second section parallelto the hori- 35 zontal plane of reciprocation and extending at rightangles to the vertical plane and offset from the horizontal plane ofreciprocation by the vertical height of the angular section section; anda, plate attached to the end of the third section tilted at an angle tothe horizontal plane of reciprocation whereby said valve actuator isextended from the toilet fixture to a suificient length so that ahorizontal pressure on the plate applies a torque to the valve actuatorcausing the valve actuator and cam to pivot on the fixed surface andactuate the reciprocable member thereby to initiate said fluid flowthrough said valve.

MARTIN C. ANSORGE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 831,671 Lipp Sept. 25, 1906837,077 Kupsch Nov. 27, 1906 1,155,916 Grout Oct. 5, 1915 1,234,643Doyle July 24, 1917 1,262,425 Young Apr. 9, 1918 1,269,721 Kuntny June18, 1918 1,285,351 Parsons Nov. 19, 1918 1,292,444 Doyle Jan. 28, 19191,409,447 Hughes Mar. 14, 1922 1,540,400 Kellan June 2, 1925 1,560,770Everstam Nov. 10, 1925 1,657,817 Cadwell Jan. 31, 1928 1,942,837Schultheiss Jan. 9, 1934 2,482,487 Johnson Sept; 20, 1949 FOREIGNPATENTS Number Country Date Germany Sept. 8, 1923

